DETROIT — There are teams that others simply do not want to face, simply because they come equipped with the perfect formula to beat you: Pitching, pitching and more pitching.

There’s one of those right here in Detroit.

“Trust me, I don’t think anybody’s going to want to face us with our pitching staff,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila told MLive’s Chris Iott after the Tigers clinched their spot in the postseason.

Of course, that list of uncomfortable match-ups usually much longer during the regular season, before teams begin to get eliminated.

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When folks say that “you could argue” the Tampa Bay Rays have the best rotation in baseball, it’s not much of an argument, considering they posted the best staff ERA in the hitter-happy American League, and broke the AL team record for strikeouts with 11 games left in the season.

That should certainly give the Rays a fighting chance in the playoffs ... Wait, what? The Rays didn’t make the playoffs?

Oh, well, then the Phillies were another team in the preseason argument for best rotation in baseball. Also didn’t make the playoffs.

After the trade-deadline acquisition of Zack Greinke, the Angels were considered to have the best rotation but — repeat in unison — DID NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.

That leaves the Detroit Tigers — who, last we checked, DID make the playoffs — as possibly the most dangerous out, especially in a short series, considering who they can trot out.

Justin Verlander, last year’s MVP and Cy Young winner, nearly matched his gaudy stats from a year ago in every category but wins.

After Verlander, who will throw in Saturday’s Game 1, you have your choice of poisons.

There’s Max Scherzer, the always mercurial flamethrower who finally figured it out in the second half, and would have finished second only to Verlander in the big leagues in strikeouts, if not for a flurry of injuries at the end of the regular season. His sore shoulder was supposed to be healthy enough for him to pitch in Wednesday’s regular-season finale, and knock off a little rust, but that was before he twisted an ankle in Monday’s on-field celebration.

“Scherzer and Verlander the last couple of days are as good as I’ve seen both of them. It’s tough when you’re facing those guys and you’re trying to string hits together,” said White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, after the Tigers last hosted their division rivals, and swept them again. “The way Scherzer and Verlander pitched the last couple nights makes it tough on anybody. You could throw the ‘27 Yankees out there and they’re going to get them out.”

If not Scherzer, there’s Doug Fister, last year’s trade deadline acquisition, who had his own injury problems throughout the year, but stabilized back into the solid front-end starter they had down the stretch last year. And it’s he, not Verlander or Scherzer, who set the American League record for consecutive strikeouts in late September.

“Yeah. You’ve got two guys at the top, and certainly Fister’s an excellent pitcher, and then if you get a little better-than-average performance from the other two guys, that’s pretty good. Our pitching is going to be the thing that will hang us there — not that we can’t hit, because we can — but at the end of the day, you’ve got to stop the other team, to give yourself a chance to win,” manager Jim Leyland said. “I’m a firm believer — I don’t want my pitchers going into the game thinking, ‘Well, I can give up three runs, and Skip will be happy.’ I don’t mean it that way — but normally, on our team, you feel like you’ve got a nine-inning game, and you only give up three runs, with our team, I think we’re supposed to win that game.”

And Leyland said that before one of the “other two guys” turned it on. Anibal Sanchez, this year’s trade acquisition, gave up just one earned run over his final two starts of the regular season, giving the Tigers a lock-down foursome. It’s one that doesn’t even include Rick Porcello or Drew Smyly, both of whom pitched capably as starters throughout the season.

“This is why the team bring me here, for help, for make the team in the playoffs,” Sanchez said after his complete-game three-hit shutout on Sept. 25.

“It’s good, because I know the team is going to trust me when I’m on the mound. That’s just my couple months with the team, and I just try to show my best so they trust me, especially when we make the playoff.”

They’re in now.

And they’re on a roll.

Going into Wednesday’s regular-season finale, the Tigers had the third-best staff ERA in the AL for the season (3.77), the second-best in the AL to Tampa in the second half (3.55). They had the third-best September ERA (3.17) in the league, behind Tampa and the Angels.

The Tigers, too broke the previous American League record for team strikeouts (1,266 by the 2001 Yankees), going into Wednesday’s final game with 1,312. In all, four teams — Tampa, Detroit, New York and Texas — all ended up finishing beyond the previous record.

All along, everyone involved has pooh-poohed the ridiculous numbers of strikeouts racked up by the Tigers pitching staff, with only Leyland coming up with a legitimate reason why they matter.

“It means that the only person who needs to catch it is the catcher,” the skipper acknowledged, noting that lessens the burden on the Tigers’ much-maligned defense.

Yet another reason no one wants to face them in the playoffs.

Email Matthew B. Mowery at matt.mowery@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @matthewbmowery. Text keyword “Tigers” to 22700 to get updates sent to your phone. Msg & data rates may apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.